The Greatness of Dhatri and Tulasi

Narada said:

1-15. O best king, from the seeds that were thrown (i.e. sown) there, three plants came up: Dhatri, Malati and Tulasi. Dhatri is said to have come up from Dhatri (the earth), Malati from Lakshmi, and Tulasi from Gauri (having) the qualities (constituents viz.) sattva (goodness), rajas (activity) and tamas (darkness, ignorance). O king, Vishnu, deluded by the excellence of Vrnda's beauty, seeing the herbs in the form of women got up in confusion. Then, with his mind attached to (i.e. full of) passion, he saw them. Tulasi and Dhatri also looked at him with love only. Since formerly Lakshmi gave the seed deceptively, therefore, the woman who came up from it, became jealous of him. Therefore, she is called Barbarl (i.e. low), and is very much condemned by Vishnu. Due to his love for them Dhatri and Tulasi have always delighted him. Then Vishnu, forgetting his grief, went to Vaikuntha with them. He was delighted and was saluted by all gods. Therefore, Vishnu's worship is ordained at the time of the conclusion of the Kartika (vow), since it is said always to cause delight (when done) at the root of Tulasi. O king, the house of him in whose house stands a Tulasi-grove, is of the nature of a holy place. Yama's servants do not come (there). Those best men who plant a Tulasi-grove which destroys all sins, which is auspicious, which satisfies desires, never see (Yama) the Sun's son. The three, viz. seeing (i.e. visiting) Narmada, bathing in Ganga, and contact with Tulasi-grove, are said to be equivalent. Due to men's planting, protecting, sprinkling, seeing and touching Tulasi, Tulasi removes their sin committed through speech, mind and body. He who would worship Vishnu with Tulasi-blossoms, does not go to the abode of embryo (i.e. is not reborn), and gets salvation. There is no doubt about this. In the Tulasi-leaf live holy places like Puskara, so also rivers like Ganga and gods like Vishnu. O best king, if a man dies with a Tulasi-leaf (on his person), he obtains absorption with Vishnu. This is the truth (and the only) truth.

16-29. Even Yama cannot look at him, even though he is full of hundreds of sins, who dies with Tulasl-clay smeared (on his body). He who would put on the sandal from Tulasl-wood, great sin, though committed by him, does not touch his body. O king, a man should offer sraddha wherever there would be the shade of a Tulasi-grove. (Sraddha) offered there becomes inexhaustible for the manes of the dead ancestors. The dead ancestors in hell, of him who offers pindas under the shade of a Tulasi-plant, are gratified, O best king. He who keeps the Dhatrl-fruit on his head, in his hand, in his mouth, on his body, should be known to be Vishnu himself, O best king. He on whose body the Dhatri-fruit or clay (from the root) of Tulasi from Dvaraka always remains, is called 'liberated while alive.' The fruit for that man who bathes with water mixed with Dhatrlfruits or with Tulasl-leaves, is said to be like that of a bath in Ganga. The man who would worship the deities with Dhatrlleaves or Dhatri-fruits, would obtain the fruit of worshipping them with various flowers (made) of gold. In Kartika when the Sun has resorted to the Libra sign of the Zodiac, holy places, sages, deities, sacrifices always remain resorted to the Dhatri. One who plucks a Tulasi-leaf on the twelfth day, and a Dhatrifruit in Kartika, would go to very condemned hells. The sin due to contact with (prohibited) food, of the man who eats under the shade of a Dhatri plant in Kartika, perishes for the (whole) year. One who worships Vishnu (while sitting) at the root of a Dhatri plant in Kartika, has always worshipped at all places sacred to Vishnu. Even the god (Brahma) having four mouths would not be able to narrate the greatness of Dhatri and Tulasi as of god Vishnu. One who devoutly listens to or causes (others) to listen to the cause of the origin of Dhatri and Tulasi, has his sins shaken off, and he, seated in an excellent aeroplane with his ancestors, goes to heaven.

 

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIX

The Kalaha Episode

Prithu said:

1-2. O brahmana, you told me properly the greatness of Tulasi along with its history. I havelistened to this great, very wonderful (account). Tell (me) what great fruit a man gets, who observes the Kartika vow; (tell) its greatness again. (Tell) also who observed it? and in what manner (did he observe it)? Narada said:

3-10. Formerly in the region of Sahyadri in the city of Karavira there lived a brahmana known as Dharmadatta, a knower of Dharma. He always observed Vishnu's vow and was always engaged in worshipping Vishnu. He was fond of muttering the hymn of the twelve syllables and guests were dear to him. Once in the month of Kartika he went to Vishnu's temple for keeping awake (in honour) of Vishnu, when the fourth part of the night had remained. When he was taking the materials for Vishnu's worship, he saw a demoness of a terrible voice, that had come there. Her fangs and face were crooked; her tongue had gone down; her eyes were red; she was naked; the flesh (in her body) was dry (i.e. she was emaciated); her lips were long (i.e. protruding); her voice was purring. Seeing her, he, afflicted with fear and with limbs trembling, quickly struck her with the materials of worship and water. She was (thus) struck (by him) after remembering Vishnu's name and with Tulasi-water. Therefore, all her sin perished. Then she, remembering her former existence due to the maturity of her acts, told him her entire condition, after saluting him (by prostrating before him) like a staff. Kalaha said:

11. I have been reduced to this condition as a result of my deeds in the former (existence). O brahmana, how shall I again attain excellent and auspicious condition? Narada said:

12. Seeing her bowing down before (him) and narrating those acts of her, the brahmana, extremely amazed, then said (these) words: Dharmadatta said:

13. As a result of which act are you reduced to such a condition? Wherefrom (do you come)? Who are you? What is your disposition? Tell all that to me. Kalaha said:

14-18a. O brahmana, in a city in Saurastra there was a brahmana named Bhiksu. I was first his very cruel wife named Kalaha. I never did good to him even bywords; I who broke his command and who always liked to quarrel, never gave sweet food to my husband. Then the brahmana was dejected through grief; that my husband thought of marrying another woman. Then, O brahmana, taking poison, I cast off my life. Then Yama's followers bound me and took me away. And Yama seeing me then, asked Chitragupta. Yama said:

18b-19. O Chitragupta, see what act she has done. Let her obtain good or bad fruit of her act. Then Chitragupta, censuring her, said (these) words: Chitragupta said:

20-25. She has not done any good act at all. She (herself) ate savoury food, (but) did not give it to her husband. Therefore, let her be (born) in her own feces in the stock of a cockroach. Then, O Hari, she, who hated her husband and always quarrelled, will be (born) in the stock of a female pig eating feces. Since she always ate from the pot in which the food is cooked, (let her be born) among female-cats eating her own young ones. Since she killed herself with reference to her husband, therefore, let this extremely censured one live among ghosts and goblins. Then with the demons she should be taken to the Maru country. Let her, having a ghosts' body, stay there for a long time. Thus having undergone (i.e. passed through) three stocks (i.e. existences) (she will be) doing auspicious acts. Kalaha said:

26-31. That I (i.e. like that I) remained for five hundred years in a ghost's body. Everyday I was oppressed by hunger and thirst and was afflicted due to my own act(s). Then I, oppressed by hunger everyday, (resorted to) a merchant's body and came to the confluence of Krishna and Veni in the southern country. When I resorted to that bank, I was forcibly thrown away from that body(? ) by the attendants of Shiva and Vishnu. Then, O brahmana, I who was emaciated with hunger, who was wandering, and whose sin had gone away due to the contact of the Tulasiwater thrown (by you), saw you. Therefore, O best brahmana, have pity on me. How shall I be free from the three very fearful existences, and from this ghost's body? Hearing like this the words of Kalaha, the brahmana, full of affliction and amazement due to the maturity of her acts, and with his mind restless due to having seen her misery thought for a long time, and sorrowfully spoke (these) words:

 

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